The University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College (UTB/TSC) has a tradition of serving an academically diverse Hispanic population (93%) whose primary goal is to provide for the education of students to enter the national workforce. The theme of this program is to nurture the skills and interests of both students and faculty in biomedical research through on-campus and off-campus experiences. The MBRS RISE Program is essential for The University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College, a ten year-old university, to enhance and expand research and research training in the fields of biomedical sciences. The MBRS RISE Program will provide heretofore unavailable opportunities for predominately Hispanic students and faculty (minority and others) to become aware of biomedical research as a professional career, to engage them in biomedical research, and to grow professionally. The MBRS RISE Program will enhance and enrich the research "milieu" at the university. Specific activities will increase awareness of students on-campus and within the community of biomedical research as a potential career opportunity and lead to an increased number of students and faculty involved in biomedical research. It is also expected to increase the number of students graduating and entering into graduate studies and fields of the biomedical sciences leading to the doctoral degree. The MBRS RISE Program at UTB/TSC will support the goals of Healthy People 2010 through the collaboration with the newly created Hispanic Health Research Center of the Lower Rio Grande Valley that specifically addresses the unique health disparities of this border region. Goals for this MBRS RISE program are as follows: Goal No 1: Increase the number of UTB/TSC students applying to and enrolling in graduate program in the biomedical sciences. Goal No. 2: Strengthen the faculty research capabilities at UTB/TSC. Goal No. 3: Augment the University research infrastructure. The long-term effect of this MBRS RISE proposal is to increase opportunities for this Hispanic university's faculty and students to become cognizant of and motivated to pursue biomedical research and related careers. [unreadable] [unreadable]